Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you have no idea what to do? Maybe you feel lost, helpless, or confused. If you’re like me, you probably have, so now my question to you is this… what do you do when you find yourself in that situation? That’s the million dollar question.
This is something that has been on my mind a lot recently. And what I’ve noticed is that this is the case because I am running into more and more instances where I have no idea what I’m doing. That reality has been pretty uncomfortable for me because – and I mean no bragging by this – I have not had many instances in my life where I am that lost. In general I have picked things up quick, and I’ve been pretty good at most things I’ve done in life thus far. I’ve not felt helpless many times in my life. Adult life is a different animal though. Work life and a job present all kinds of new challenges.
What’s I’ve been trying to do is reflect on how I have responded to those moments over the course of the last few weeks. And what has been really interesting to me is that my responses and reactions have varied greatly. I won’t lie, there have been moments where I run into an issue and I sit there and get anxious, I overthink, I freak out and try to figure it out for myself. And then I eventually do. That’s option number one. Option number two includes everything from option one except I can’t figure it out on my own and I freak out to the point where I run to someone for help and essentially yell out, “I have no idea what I’m doing!” This leads me to option three which is calmly reaching out for help as soon as I know that I’ll need it. In the last few weeks, I have gone through all of these options a time or two.
I think it is fairly obvious which of them is the best option. (Option three if you were confused). That first stubborn option is one that I defaulted to a lot in my life because in my mind admitting that I needed help equated to admitting defeat. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned how wrong that is. I think I’ve said “I don’t know” more in the last few weeks than I have in the rest of my life combined and I couldn’t feel better about it. Having the ability to admit that I don’t know is a skill that has taken me a long time to develop but I really do think it’s a skill that people respect.
My biggest piece of advice would be to be up front and honest with people when you need help. They aren’t going to look down on you. Trust me, they will be more than happy to help. And if they aren’t then forget them and go find someone who will. Trust me whether it’s a cool and calm situation where you can walk up to someone and ask for help, or if it’s running into your boss’s office and yelling, “hey I have no clue what I’m doing,” you will feel better about it than just sitting around stressed about the situation. My advice is always to just be humble. Have the humility to admit that maybe you don’t know everything. Perhaps you do need help. Humility is the key.
So yeah, admitting “failure” or “weakness” or simply that you know don’t something is hard. I know that for sure. There was a time where you would’ve never caught me asking for help at work. So what changed?
This is where I’m gonna get really deep with you guys. For those of you that know me well, you know that I am a Christ follower. When you understand that about me, it makes it super clear why it has become so much easier for me to admit that I need help. On a very basic level I believe that all humans have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. So in essence, I have failed. I need help. So what did God do? He sent his son Jesus to die in my place so that whoever believes in him, whoever admits that they need his help, would be saved and restored to the Father. Guys, I’ve admitted that I need help from Jesus to fix every part of my broken life, to give me a chance to have a relationship with Him and God. If I can admit failure and a need for help that great, then of course I can admit that I need help with a few problems at work. I mean how important are those problems in the grand scheme of things?
All of this truth just dawned on me recently. I was reflecting and I had been noticing that I have recently been asking for help more. Admitting “defeat” more. It really just wasn’t like me. It didn’t take me long though to realize why this change had occurred. Following Jesus changes you in great ways. This level of humility that I possess is new. It’s something that I am grateful that I have. For so long it is a trait that I looked down on. But so often in the Bible we find Jesus humbling himself. Times where he “takes the nature of a servant.” Humility is a biblical trait that I am blessed and lucky to have. It’s a trait that I will take with me the rest of my life and beyond. My willingness to share my failures with others comes from the fact that even though God knows all my shortcomings, He still loves me. And since I have that assurance, I don’t need it from anyone else.
Guys if I could leave you with one last thought, it would just be to take a more humble stance in life. Believer or not, humility is a trait that we can all benefit from. Imagine a world full of people willing to ask for help. People who love each other regardless of their inabilities or shortcomings. That is a world I pray that I see one day.
Love you guys always!